Milwaukee Stops Skid

Cincinnati Reds' Chris Heisey, bottom, is safe at second for a double ahead of the tag from St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Pete Kozma during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Monday, April 8, 2013, in St. Louis. The Reds won 13-4. (AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Chris Lee)

Chicago (ap) — Marco Estrada pitched seven effective innings and doubled home a run yesterday, helping the Milwaukee Brewers stop a five-game slide with a 7-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs in the first game of the season at Wrigley Field.

Estrada (1-0) allowed two runs and five hits while bouncing back from a lackluster season debut against Colorado. The right-hander also drove in Alex Gonzalez with a drive into the gap in right-center during Milwaukee’s two-run seventh.

Norichika Aoki collected three more hits and Ryan Braun went 3 for 4 with two doubles after missing Milwaukee’s weekend sweep by Arizona due to spasms on the right side of his neck

Welington Castillo belted a two-run homer for Chicago, which has dropped four in a row and five of six. Edwin Jackson (0-2) was hit hard in his first home game since he signed a $52 million, four-year contract over the winter, surrendering five runs and eight hits in six innings.

Reds 13, Cardinals 4

St. Louis — Brandon Phillips kick-started a nine-run ninth inning with a tiebreaking bloop double and Shin-Soo Choo made amends for two botched fly balls with a three-run double, and Cincinnati spoiled St. Louis’ home opener.

Mitchell Boggs (0-1), the stand-in closer for St. Louis, yielded six runs while getting only one out and the Cardinals needed four more pitchers to get out of the ninth.

Phillips added his 150th career homer for the Reds, who have won six of seven since losing in extra innings to the Angels on opening day. Jay Bruce had four hits and Chris Heisey doubled twice with an RBI.

Sam LeCure (1-0) pitched an inning for the win.

Mets 7, Phillies 2

Philadelphia — Matt Harvey threw seven impressive innings, John Buck hit a three-run homer and New York roughed up Roy Halladay in a victory over Philadelphia.

Harvey (2-0) followed up a dominant first start with another sharp outing. He gave up one run, three hits and struck out nine. The 24-year-old righty allowed one hit and fanned 10 in seven scoreless innings against San Diego last Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Halladay (0-2) barely resembles the two-time Cy Young Award winner who had 40 wins and tossed a perfect game and postseason no-hitter in his first two years with the Phillies in 2010-11.

Halladay allowed seven runs and six hits in four-plus innings. He’s given up 12 runs in 7 1-3 innings in two starts after a tough spring.

Braves 2, Marlins 0

Miami — Justin Upton went 4-for-4, including his sixth home run, and Paul Maholm allowed one hit in seven sharp innings to help Atlanta spoil Miami’s home opener.

The Braves earned their fourth consecutive victory and improved to 6-1, their best start since 2007.

The Marlins lost their third game in a row and fell to 1-6, their worst start since 2006.

Announced attendance was 34,439, with thousands of empty seats and many tickets sold at discounted prices. Some fans pledged to stay away this season because they’re angry that owner Jeffrey Loria reverted to a frugal payroll only a year after the team opened a new ballpark built mostly with taxpayer money.